New Pattern Release - Practice Shawl

I finally released my new pattern - Practice Shawl. I first wrote this pattern back in 2010 when I was teaching a knitting class in Manhattan - this shawl was designed to learn basic stitches including knit & purl, lace, wrap stitches, ribbing and cables - my students loved it back then.

Since then, I had no time editing/checking to see if the pattern works fine, but one of my knitting friends did an enormous amount of test knitting - and here it is! I am so happy I didn't give up on releasing this pattern.

I have been using this shawl for almost 5 years now and it doesn't look worn at all - habu linen XS-21 is a pretty strong yarn with beautiful behavior. It is not too hard to knit with this yarn (some of Habu's yarns are so beautiful but pretty hard to knit with); linen is not as stretchy as some wool yarns, so it may be a bit uncomfortable for those who never used linen before, but other than that, it is a nice crisp yarn to work with.

I would like to see this in many different yarns - maybe wool, alpaca, cotton, silk, etc.... and heavier weight or double width. There are so many possibilities for this shawl.

Most of sections have only 12-16 rows, so before you start to get bored of repeating a same pattern, you will move on to the next pattern. I made it so that my student won't get too tired of repeating a same thing - especially for those who just started knitting, too much repetition sometimes turns them off from knitting, and I designed in a way so that people won't get too tired from repetition.



Hope to see many practice shawls around!

My First Class at Home

I just finished teaching my first class in knitting - too bad my phone is dead and I was unable to take photos.  I am very happy that I was able to have a class here - there are so many things to show.

One of my students started to make a cowl for herself - she chose Paton's Classic Wool Roving in Mustard Yellow - that is something I would not pick up, but it is a beautiful yellow color and I was very thrilled to see that color in my house.

I tend to pick up same type of neutral color and those vivid yellow color is something very refreshing.

That's one of the reason why it is nice to have a class here to see a variety of projects.

Another student is working on a loose fitting sweater in giza cotton. This is going to be a big project and I hope she will complete the project by spring so she gets to wear it a lot!

I am looking forward to the next class, and hopefully next time I can take some pictures to show the progress of everyone's project.

My New Product

This is my new line of product - matching bonnet and mittens. They are just so adorable! Made out of quality organic merino wool yarn, these are my favorite right now! I am thinking about making a matching scarf/cowl that goes with them.

lienra amimono knitting class

I am starting knitting classes here at my home.  It is going to be fun! We are going to have a variety of knitters with different skills and techniques. It is very important to have fellow knitters to enjoy chatting while knitting. You also have a chance to see other knitters's project. That's why it is important to come and join the class!

Anyone interested in coming? Any questions? Please send an email to: gwakana (at) gmail.com

lienra amimono knitting studio

                                                                                                 by Wakana Gates

Are you interested in knitting? At lienra we are working on a variety of knitting projects constantly. If you are curious about what is going on in knitting world, come join us in our classroom to acquire basic techniques or to bring your own project to work on with other knitters. I will assist every student in different levels. Children are welcome to take classes, too.

Date:          Tuesday               9:30 – 11:30am

                                             12:00 – 2:00pm

                  Wednesday           9:30 – 11:30am

                                             12:00 – 2:00pm

                  Thursday             12:00 – 2:00pm

                                                           3:00 – 5:00pm

Location:    Silver Lake neighborhood in Staten Island

                  (address will be provided by email)

Please reserve the seat by 1 day before the class by sending an email to:             gwakana (at)gmail.com

     ・on the title line, please write “lienra amimono knitting workshop”

     ・please specify the date and time

     ・you are welcome to attend two consecutive sessions in one day.

     ・no minimum attendance required to join our knitting studio

     ・for the first time only, please briefly introduce yourself

         (including your knitting experience)

       Looking forward to seeing you all at our studio. Enjoy knitting!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to write this posting on New Year's Day and it is already January 6th... As always, there are so many things I need to do around the house - my errands never end! Anyway, I wanted to have a little bit of traditional Japanese food for the first day of the year, and I managed to make some simple dishes to celebrate.

I always make ozoni (rice cake soup) and chikuzennni (kimono - chicken stew with taro, carrots, burdock, etc..). These are typical New Year dish in Japan, but unfortunately, non of my children like them.

I also picked up some osechi, a collection of New Year food that was ready made from a Japanaese supermarket. Each food has its own meaning and it is important to eat them all.

My husband's favorite was sashimi salad - I used to make this all the time when I was in Japan, and I somehow forgot to make this here in US. I enjoyed this very much as well! I would make this again and again from now on.

It's so easy - you just have to add some sashimi piece, some nuts (I added crushed cashews), and fried dumpling skins on top of greens. Somehow, these combination make everything so tasty!

I always feel a little bid sad to have a New Year's day in US, because it is only one day and it is not a big celebration like the one in Japan, where most people stay home for the first three days (Jan. 1-3) and just eat, talk, watch TV, relax, and sleep! I miss those days so much!

Fresh Start

Happy New Year to everyone!

I have been thinking about writing blogs again, but I have been busy with our three beautiful children and always ended up putting it aside. Now that the new year is coming, I have determined to keep blogging my knitting, my life, my thoughts, etc.. This year will be a year of change, and I will enjoy every moment of my life.

I have left my old blog untouched for over three years, so I will save it as part of my blogging life, and I am starting a new blog here from now on.